School Attendance crisis in the North East

National World - LocalTV

On average, around 2.5% of school pupils miss 50% or more of their education in a school year, with some areas reporting a rise in long term absences.

Transcript

00:00New data has revealed that in Gateshead, long-term school absenteeism has increased in the borough.

00:06The figures show that nearly 23% of pupils in the borough have missed 10% or more of their education during a school year,

00:14a rise in about 1% since the year before.

00:18It also shows that 3.1% of children in the borough have shockingly missed more than half of their education during the last year,

00:25which has also risen from the year before.

00:27Susan Dunn, Gateshead Council's Director of Education, Schools and Inclusion,

00:34said they are just as concerned around the number of children that are persistently absent,

00:39and they have recently carried out a deep dive to look at what they are doing with secondary school leaders.

00:46They have also implemented a comprehensive action plan, which includes a 12-week programme working with children and schools

00:53to help pupils not just return to school, but to also remain there.

00:59In Northumberland, their most recent data is similar, with roughly 1 in 5 children missing more than 10% of their education

01:06and around 2.5% missing out on over half.

01:10Sunderland is among the top 10 local authorities in England for persistent absence

01:14and is also highlighted in severe absent concerns regionally.

01:19Thankfully, North Tyneside's stats fall below the national average of students missing more than 10% of their education during a school year,

01:27with rates at 18.7%.

01:29However, South Tyneside rates are concerning,

01:31with over 37% of secondary school pupils missing more than 10% of their education.

01:3710% of a school year equates to 19 days off school,

01:42meaning a child would miss out on just under a month of their education.

01:47However, some of those recorded within the data could be missing out on a lot more.

01:52So what is causing rises in persistent absenteeism across the region's schools,

01:57and what could be done to fix it?

01:59I spoke with some locals to get their opinions.

02:02Just different generations, our generation wouldn't have done that.

02:05I have no recollection of kids just not coming into school.

02:10You went to school, that's what you did.

02:12Just a generational thing.

02:13Yeah.

02:15I don't know.

02:15I could probably say it's down to the parents, but that's...

02:19Mum and Dad have gone to work.

02:21Sure.

02:22Yeah, you're on trust to go to school if you go playing hooky.

02:27Yeah.

02:27There's consequences.

02:28And they think that you've gone to school.

02:30Yeah.

02:31Like, incentives, maybe?

02:33I don't know what jobs are like now, because if people aren't going to school,

02:38then there's going to be less people going to be able to do things and get into education.

02:43So maybe decrease the entry requirements for college or things, or maybe increase them.

02:50You know, maybe try and get them to be more ambitious,

02:52because then they're just going to not have a bad life necessarily,

02:57but not be able to go to the career that they want to do.

02:59That's it.

03:00So maybe I'll just say,

03:00well, you know,

03:01if you think about Yeah.

03:01And then you're going to be able to do that.

03:02You're going to be able to do that.

03:03Yeah.

03:04You're going to be able to do that.

03:05You're going to be able to do that.

03:07You're going to be able to do it.

03:08Yeah.

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